This invention relates to epitopes of a major heat-stable shrimp allergen and, more particularly, to the use of these epitopes to desensitize individuals that are allergic to shrimp and other crustacea.
Crustacea are among the foods most frequently associated with IgE-mediated type I hypersensitive reactions in individuals allergic to food. Nagpal et al., J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 83:26 (1989), have characterized two major allergens from marine shrimp, Penaeus indicus. Both are heat-stable. The first, designated SA-I, has an apparent molecular weight of 8.2 kd. The second, designated Sa-II, has an apparent molecular weight of 34 kd and contains 301 amino acid residues.
Either the entire antigen or allergenic epitopes thereof can be used for desensitization of an allergenic individual. It is preferable to use only allergenic epitopes rather than an entire antigen when desensitizing an individual with a food allergy, since this minimizes the possibility of a severe adverse reaction during the desensitization treatment. While SA-I and SA-II have been indicated as being major heat-stable shrimp allergens, there is no suggestion that either of these allergens contains within its sequence allergenic epitopes, or what these allergenic epitopes might be.